Coalition agrees to scrap controversial espionage provision, calls it witch-hunt tool

The coalition comprising ANO, SPD and the Motorists reached a deal to eliminate paragraph 318a of the criminal code, known as the espionage clause, according to SPD deputy Jindřich Rajchl. The provision, added in 2025 during Petr Fiala’s administration, criminalises intentional acts on behalf of a foreign power that threaten national security, with sentences ranging from one to five years. Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc, who had earlier advocated for a narrower amendment, will now oversee its repeal.

Rajchl argued that hostile activities can be prosecuted under existing statutes and described the clause as a “witch-hunt hammer” targeting dissenters. The article has already been applied in practice, notably in the prosecution of Chinese national Jang I-ming for alleged work with Chinese intelligence. The Constitutional Court previously declined to strike down the paragraph but acknowledged its broad wording.